U.S. patent application number 11/069555 was filed with the patent office on 2005-09-15 for device on a spinning preparation machine, for example a tuft feeder, having a feed device.
This patent application is currently assigned to Trutzschler GmbH & Co. KG. Invention is credited to Rubenach, Bernhard.
Application Number | 20050198783 11/069555 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 34442584 |
Filed Date | 2005-09-15 |
United States Patent
Application |
20050198783 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Rubenach, Bernhard |
September 15, 2005 |
Device on a spinning preparation machine, for example a tuft
feeder, having a feed device
Abstract
A device on a spinning preparation machine, for example a tuft
feeder, having a feed device comprising at least one slow-speed
feed roller and a counter-element, for example a feed tray, with
which fibre material can be supplied to a downstream transport
device, has a driven transport element, for example a conveyor
belt. In order to provide improved delivery from the feed device,
or improved takeover by the downstream transport device, and to
allow troublefree operation, for the purpose of determining setting
values for the optimum speed of the transport element, a function
between the measured values of the feed roller speed and the
measured values of the transport speed is so determined that the
fibre material lies on the moving surface of the transport
element.
Inventors: |
Rubenach, Bernhard;
(Monchengladbach, DE) |
Correspondence
Address: |
VENABLE LLP
P.O. BOX 34385
WASHINGTON
DC
20045-9998
US
|
Assignee: |
Trutzschler GmbH & Co.
KG
Monchengladbach
DE
|
Family ID: |
34442584 |
Appl. No.: |
11/069555 |
Filed: |
March 2, 2005 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
19/105 |
Current CPC
Class: |
D01G 23/04 20130101;
D01G 23/02 20130101; D01G 15/40 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
019/105 |
International
Class: |
D01G 015/40 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Mar 12, 2004 |
DE |
10 2004 012 236.9 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. The invention provides a feed arrangement for a spinning
preparation machine, comprising: a feed device comprising a feed
roller, a counter-element and a speed-measurement device for
measuring the speed of the feed roller; a driven transport device
having a driven transport element arranged to receive fibre
material from the feed device and further comprising a measuring
device for measuring the speed of the transport device; and a
control device; wherein the control device is arranged to determine
a relationship between measured values of the speed of the feed
roller and measured values of the speed of the transport device
relative to time, and in dependence thereon to determine values for
the optimum speed of the transport device.
2. A feed arrangement according to claim 1, comprising a memory for
a multiplicity of data points relating to speed of the roller and a
multiplicity of data points relating to corresponding transport
element speeds at which, for a given roller speed, the fibre
material is not lifted from the transport element.
3. A feed arrangement according to claim 1, in which the feed
roller speed and the transport element speed can be set
manually.
4. A feed arrangement according to claim 1, in which the feed
roller speed and the transport element speed can be set
automatically.
5. A feed arrangement according to claim 1, which comprises a
distance-measuring device associated with the surface of the
transport element.
6. A feed arrangement according to claim 5, in which an optical
distance-measuring device is used.
7. A feed arrangement according to claim 5, in which the
distance-measuring means has CCD elements.
8. A feed arrangement according to claim 1, comprising an
electronic memory for receiving the function.
9. A feed arrangement for a spinning preparation machine,
comprising: a feed device comprising a slow rotating feed roller
and a counter-element; a transport device comprising a moving
transport element; and a device for determining and setting optimum
speed values for the transport element, in which the speed of
rotation of the feed roller can be adjusted, there can be recorded
for each of a plurality of feed roller speeds a corresponding
transport element speed that permits delivery by the feed device of
fibre material onto the transport element in such a manner that the
fibre material does not lift away from the transport element, and
the optimum transport element speed value for a given roller speed
can be determined.
10. A feed arrangement according to claim 9, comprising: a control
device; a measuring element for the roller speed; and a measuring
element for the transport element speed; the roller speed measuring
element and the transport element speed measuring element being
connected to the control device.
11. A feed arrangement according to claim 10, further comprising a
distance-measuring device connected to the control device, the
distance-measuring device being arranged for determining whether
fibre material has lifted from the transport element.
12. A feed arrangement according to claim 1, in which the transport
element is a belt.
13. A device on a spinning preparation machine, for example a tuft
feeder, having a feed device comprising at least one slow-speed
feed roller and a counter-element, for example a feed tray, with
which fibre material can be supplied to a downstream transport
device having a driven transport element, for example a conveyor
belt, wherein to determine setting values for the optimum speed of
the transport device a function between the measured values of the
speed of the feed roller and the measured values of the speed of
the transport device relative to time is so determined that the
fibre material lies on the moving surface of the transport device.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims priority from German Patent
Application No. 10 2004 012 236.9 dated Mar. 12, 2004, the entire
disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The invention relates to a device on a spinning preparation
machine, for example a tuft feeder, having a feed device comprising
at least one slow-speed feed roller and a counter-element, for
example a feed tray, with which fibre material can be supplied to a
downstream transport device having a driven transport element, for
example a conveyor belt.
[0003] In systems for the volumetric scanning of fibre streams,
friction inevitably arises. When there is a continuous stream of
fibre material, such friction results in compaction of the fibre
material in the direction of flow. Once the fibre stream has
emerged from the gap of the roller/tray system, the tension on the
fibre material is relaxed and the fibre material assumes a higher
exit speed relative to the circumferential speed of the feed
roller. Particularly in the case of slow throughflow speeds, there
is considerably more time available until the next working step,
which inevitably also results in a greater relaxation of the
tension on the fibre material. In practice, when the system
settings are designed for high throughflow speeds, the emerging
fibre mat is thrown upwards in the start-up phase, which generally
leads to faults occurring in the subsequent working step.
[0004] It is an aim of the invention to provide a device of the
kind described at the beginning which avoids or mitigates the
mentioned disadvantages, which especially allows improved delivery
from the feed device, or improved takeover by the downstream
transport device, and allows troublefree operation.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] The invention provides a feed arrangement for a spinning
preparation machine, comprising:
[0006] a feed device comprising a feed roller, a counter-element
and a speed-measurement device for measuring the speed of the feed
roller;
[0007] a driven transport device having a driven transport element
arranged to receive fibre material from the feed device and further
comprising a measuring device for measuring the speed of the
transport device; and
[0008] a control device;
[0009] wherein the control device is arranged to determine a
relationship between measured values of the speed of the feed
roller and measured values of the speed of the transport device
relative to time, and in dependence thereon to determine values for
the optimum speed of the transport device.
[0010] Because the appropriate belt speed is generated and set for
every throughflow speed of the fibre material through the
roller/tray system, the fibre material is prevented from being
thrown upwards above the transport device. The fibre material lies
on the moving surface of the transport element. In this way,
troublefree operation and an evening-out of the fibre material
transport and of the fibre material are achieved.
[0011] The arrangement may be such that the feed roller speed and
the transport speed can be set manually. The arrangement may be
such that the feed roller speed and the transport element speed can
instead be set automatically. The surface of the transport element
may be associated with a distance-measuring device for the fibre
material, for example an optical distance-measuring device is used.
The distance-measuring means may comprise CCD elements. The
height-measuring device may be able to determine lifting-away of
the fibre material from the surface of the transport element.
Advantageously, the function can be entered into an electronic
memory. There may be provided an electrical regulating and control
device to which a measuring element for the feed roller speed and a
measuring element for the transport element speed are connected.
The distance-measuring device may be connected to the electrical
regulating and control device. The electrical memory may be
connected to the electrical regulating and controlling device.
[0012] The invention also provides a device on a spinning
preparation machine, for example a tuft feeder, having a feed
device comprising at least one slow-speed feed roller and a
counter-element, for example a feed tray, with which fibre material
can be supplied to a downstream transport device having a driven
transport element, for example a conveyor belt, wherein to
determine setting values for the optimum speed of the transport
device a function between the measured values of the speed of the
feed roller and the measured values of the speed of the transport
device relative to time is so determined that the fibre material
lies on the moving surface of the transport device.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0013] FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic side view of a device according to
the invention on a tuft feeder and downstream conveyor belt;
[0014] FIG. 2 shows the feed device of a tuft feeder, a portion of
a conveyor belt immediately downstream of the feed device, the
fibre material and a block diagram for determining optimum speeds;
and
[0015] FIG. 3 is a graph showing belt speed and feed roller speed
as a function of time.
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0016] Referring to FIG. 1, upstream of a continuously circulating
conveyor belt 1 there is provided a vertical reserve chute 2 which
is charged from above with finely opened fibre material. Charging
can be effected, for example, by means of a condenser through a
supply and distributor line 3. In the upper region of the reserve
chute 2 there are air outlet openings 4 through which the transport
air, after being separated from the fibre flocks I, passes into an
extractor device. The lower end of the reserve chute 2 is closed by
an intake roller 6 which cooperates with an intake tray 7. By means
of this slow-speed feed roller 6, the fibre material is supplied
from the reserve chute 2 to a high-speed opener roller 8 that is
located below the reserve chute and is covered with pins 8b or
sawtooth wire, which opener roller 8 is associated over a portion
of its circumference with a lower feed chute 9. The opener roller
8, which rotates in the direction of arrow 8a, transports the fibre
material III that it collects into the feed chute 9. The feed chute
9 has at its lower end a feed roller 10 (delivery roller) rotating
in accordance with the arrow drawn inside it, which supplies the
fibre material to the conveyor belt 1. This tuft feeder can be, for
example, a SCANFEED TF tuft feeder from the Trutzschler company,
Mbnchengladbach, Germany. The intake roller 6 rotates slowly
clockwise (arrow 6a) and the opener roller 8 rotates anticlockwise
(arrow 8b), so that an opposed direction of rotation is achieved.
The walls of the feed chute 9 are in the lower portion provided
with air outlet openings 11', 11" up to a certain height. At the
top, the feed chute 9 communicates with a box-shaped chamber 12, to
one end of which there is connected the outlet of a fan 13 (see
FIG. 1). By means of the rotating intake roller 6 and the rotating
opener roller 8, a certain amount of fibre material II per unit of
time is continuously fed into the feed chute 9 and the same amount
of fibre material is supplied to the conveyor belt 1, the fibre
material being conveyed out of the feed chute 9 by the feed roller
10 which cooperates with a feed tray 14 comprising a plurality of
individual trays 14a to 14n. In order that this amount of material
is compacted uniformly and kept constant, the fibre material in the
feed chute 9 is acted upon by throughflowing air by means of the
fan 13 via the box-shaped chamber 12. Air is drawn into the fan 13
and passed through the fibre mass located in the feed chute 9, the
air III then leaving through the air outlet openings 11', 11" at
the lower end of the feed chute 9. The lower end of the wall 9a of
the feed chute 9 is associated with a support 15 (crossbeam), for
example of structural steel, on which the feed trays 14a to 14n are
pivotally mounted across its width. Each feed tray 14a to 14n (only
14a shown) is associated with an inductive displacement sensor 16a
to 16n (only 16a shown).
[0017] The conveyor belt 1 has two guide rollers 17a, 17b around
which a continuously circulating belt 18 revolves. The guide roller
17a is arranged immediately adjacent to the end of the transport
gap between the feed roller 10 and the feed trays 14a to 14n. The
directions of rotation of the rollers are indicated by curved
arrows.
[0018] In the embodiment of FIG. 2, the feed roller 10 is driven by
a slow-speed electric drive motor 19 and the guide roller 17a of
the conveyor belt 1 is driven by a slow-speed electric drive motor
20. The drive motors 19 and 20 are connected to an electronic
controlling and regulating device 21 which has a memory element 22.
The drive motor 19 and the drive motor 20 are each associated with
a respective speed measuring element 23, 24, for example
tachogenerators, which are connected to the controlling and
regulating device 21.
[0019] Associated with the upper horizontal belt section 18a in the
vertical direction as a height-measuring device there is a light
strip 25 having a plurality of photo-electric elements 26 which are
likewise connected to the controlling and regulating device 21.
[0020] A regulating circuit influences the transport of fibre
material from the feed device of the tuft feeder, consisting of
feed roller 10 and feed tray 14, to the downstream conveyor belt 1.
This FEEDCONTROL (trade mark) system supplies the conveyor belt 1
continuously with the same amount of fibre material and regulates
any remaining fluctuations in the fibre material which are
transmitted by way of the inductive displacement sensors 16a to 16n
in signal form to the controlling and regulating device 21.
[0021] For the fibre stream IV entering the measurement region 27
between roller 10 and scanning tray 14, it is necessary for the
measuring operation that compaction is effected perpendicular to
the fibre stream IV. In addition to that compaction acting
perpendicular to the direction of flow, as a result of the friction
between the material and the scanning tray 14 the fibre stream IV
is also subject to compaction acting in the direction of flow.
After the fibre stream has emerged from the roller/tray system, the
tension on the material is relaxed and the material assumes an exit
speed that is higher relative to the circumferential speed of the
feed roller 10 (transport roller). The magnitude of this exit speed
is dependent upon the recovery capacity of the fibre material and
upon the average throughflow speed in the entire system. According
to the invention, the belt speed of the conveyor belt 1 is matched
to those conditions.
[0022] During the run-up phase, a different, appropriate belt speed
is set for each roller speed, the real setting values also varying
from material to material. In the course of setting up for a
certain material, starting from stationary, the rollers are run at
different speeds and the belt speed appropriate for each roller
speed is set manually. Once the belt speed to be assigned to a
roller speed (without the web being thrown upwards) has been found,
that setting is transmitted to the controlling means
(acknowledgement of the found values). This operation is repeated,
with the roller speed increasing, as many times as is necessary
until a sufficient number of data points has been found (teach-in
process). Once those data have been stored in the memory element 19
(batch memory), the belt speed Vbelt (see FIG. 3) appropriate to
each throughflow speed Vroller can be set automatically by the
machine controlling device 21.
[0023] In order to determine setting values for the optimum speed
of the transport device 1, for example a conveyor belt, a function
between the measured values of the speed of the feed roller 10 and
the measured values of the speed of the belt guide roller 17a
relative to time t is so determined that the fibre material V lies
on the surface of the upper belt section 18a and does not lift away
from the upper belt section 18a (so-called throwing-upwards of the
fibre material).
[0024] As FIG. 2 shows, the upper belt section 18a is on one side
associated with a light strip 25 having photoelectric elements 26,
light barriers or the like. The light strip 25 sends electrical
signals to the controlling and regulating device 21 which indicate
whether the fibre material V is lying on or lifting away from the
upper belt section 18a. In this way, setting values for the optimum
speed of the transport device 1 can be determined automatically and
entered into the memory 22.
[0025] As fibre processing devices it is possible for the tuft
feeder SCANFEED TF to be followed by a carding machine, an
aerodynamic web former, a needling machine, a thermofusion device
or a spun-lace device.
[0026] Although the foregoing invention has been described in
detail by way of illustration and example for purposes of
understanding, it will be obvious that changes and modifications
may be practised within the scope of the appended claims.
* * * * *